In Darfur, UN blue helmets support school project with delivery of water

22 March 2010  With a large delivery of water in a region often deprived of the precious resource, peacekeepers serving with the joint African Union-United Nations mission in Darfur (UNAMID) today helped with the building of a new school in the conflict-affected region in western Sudan.

After a two-hour arduous journey through challenging desert terrain, the UNAMID military convoy and tanker truck made its way to the village of Harari Naria, 42 kilometres north of El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state, and delivered 10,000 litres of water.

The water will be used to produce the bricks needed to construct a community school that will accommodate 306 pupils aged between five and 17 from surrounding villages when it is completed.

The delivery was part of UNAMID’s efforts to provide logistical support to the Government’s disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration (DDR) programme, which provides financial assistance and other incentives to former combatants who lay down their arms, and helps build social amenities in needy communities.

“This is an important step toward giving our children the tools they will need to have a brighter future,” said Muhammed Ahmad Ada, a community leader and a former combatant.

Some 35 former combatants from Harari Naria have been discharged and reintegrated back into society.